Yeah, I will admit Wanda Maximoff is definitely one of my favorite characters of the Avengers. She has some of the coolest abilities (pretty much magic) of them all. Plus I'm a sucker for any exotic accent.
This was actually supposed to be the first part to another story I was planning but it took on a life of its own while I was typing so here we are.
Enjoy.
"Captain Rogers, I believe we may have a situation."
Steve woke up slowly to the sound of the British accented voice of Vision. The super soldier rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he rolled to his feet and made for the door of his quarters where the synthetic man was no doubt waiting.
Vision was indeed standing on the other side when Steve opened the door. He appeared concerned about something.
That alone was a bad sign.
Whatever quip Steve was about to unleash about the ungodly hour of the night was instantly squashed with the android's next words. "It's Miss Maximoff."
All feelings of grogginess forgotten, Steve all but snapped at his teammate. "What's going on?"
If Vision noticed his tone he didn't show it. "She appears to be having another episode."
Steve first response was to let out a quiet litany of swear words that would have made Stark proud.
"Where?" Steve shoved past Vision a little rougher than he intended. The Android again didn't seem to notice Steve's change of behavior when Wanda was concerned, if he did at all.
"Miss Maximoff was at The Wall when last I saw her."
Steve pinched the bridge of his nose hard when he heard that. This was not the first time something like this happened. He should have realized it when Vision came to his door in the middle of the night.
The Wall was originally Clint's idea. He had told Steve about the SHIELD academy and how it had a wall of plaques listing all the names of SHIELD agents who had fallen in the line of duty. It was a unanimous decision that the Avengers should have something similar given their dangerous line of work.
It should be blank, Steve desperately wished it was. Alas this was not the case, it was mostly blank of course, but there was a single name on it. The first Avenger to ever fall in the line of duty.
Pietro Maximoff.
Wanda would come up there occasionally. Sometimes however she would completely lose control of her powers while she was lost in the yawning chasm of her mourning and grief.
It would always be the same. Wanda would stand close to the wall, her fingers running over the letters of her twin's name. While the red mist that accompanied her powers would surround her in almost a blanket of protection.
Vision had been the one to approach first, with disastrous results. The Android first hit a solid barrier like a brick wall before he was hurled through the air and across the room a couple seconds later. He was of course completely unharmed by the impact but most unnerving of all was Wanda. The entire time it happened she didn't move or even turn to look.
Natasha had been the one to figure it out first. Wanda's powers were acting from her subconscious mind. Meaning she was shielding herself without her even realizing it. So lost she was in her emotional pain.
Their next move had been perhaps a bit... reckless. It was Stark's idea after all. He tried to approach her while in his Iron Man suit only to also be rebounded like a ping pong ball exactly the same way Vision was.
It was finally Clint who managed to do something. When the archer touched the field nothing happened. He was able to walk through the red mist like it was a simple cloud of fog. Once he approached Wanda and made her aware of his presence she noticed what was happening and instantly dispelled the barrier around her.
Clint led Wanda from the room back to her quarters and away from prying eyes. No one saw her face through a curtain of hair but Steve didn't have to actually gaze upon it to see the look on her face. He felt it more than anything.
It made a lot of sense for Clint to be the one Wanda's mind would allow to reach her. The archer was the closest thing to a father Wanda had since she was ten years old.
Super soldier and android made their way across the Avengers facility to the front annex where The Wall was located. When they arrived they found Wanda was there alright.
Surrounded by a bright red cloud of swirling energy just like last time.
Right now though Steve was in a very bad situation. It was happening again but this time there was no Clint to pull Wanda out of her delusion. He had retired from active Avenger duty to spend time with his family and was far away. If it was possible for him to physically be here, Clint would of course come running but alas that was not the case.
Steve and Vision stood on the edge of the magical barrier, both trying to come up with a solution to actually reach her, calming her down was a bridge to be crossed when they got there.
"Vision, why don't you sit this one out." Steve's words were not a question, almost an order.
Vision looked at Wanda for a moment before nodding in agreement. The youngest Avenger still had not quite forgiven the android for rescuing her from the falling city. The words Wanda screamed at Vision that day were burned into Steve's brain.
"How could you?! You were supposed to leave me to die! At least I could be with Pietro." The last part had been whispered between heart wrenching sobs. Clint had once again been the one to calm her down.
Vision's presence might be more harmful than good. Eventually she may forgive him but that was not today.
With the Android gone, Steve was back to square one without a clue about what to do.
Call Clint maybe?
That idea was instantly shot down. Even if he could reach him in the middle of the night there was no way to get close enough to Wanda to hear the archer's voice. That's if his voice was even enough.
Steve groaned as he wracked his brain for something to do. He couldn't just leave her like this. Right now the young woman was drowning in sorrow and god help him he was not going to let her do so.
"Damnit Miss Maximoff!" Steve didn't know why he did it, the worry mixed with the still being partially tired likely had a hand in it, but he hit the barrier shield with his fist.
Instead of hitting a solid object, his hand passed through without resistance.
Steve froze.
Cautiously, the super soldier pushed his arm the rest of the way through the shield. He felt a small tingle of electricity across his skin, making his hair stand up on his arm, but nothing else happened.
In that moment he took a page from Stark's playbook and stepped through the red cloud. For some reason, he again met no resistance. He passed through just like Clint had done.
Steve shelved that thought aside for late consideration, right now Wanda needed help.
"Miss Maximoff?" Steve spoke gently when he approached the young woman.
No response.
"Miss Maximoff?" He tried again, this time putting a hand on her shoulder as slowly as he possibly could trying his best not to startle her.
Wanda jumped at the sudden contact but didn't turn toward him, looking the other way instead.
Within moments the cloud of red vanished but Wanda's eyes remained glued to the memorial before her.
"You should get some sleep Miss Maximoff." Steve's words were the gentlest he could while his hand squeezed her shoulder just as gentle.
The feel of her body beneath his touch already horrified him. He could practically feel the bones of her shoulder beneath her nightshirt. Steve thought the garment was just big on her, in truth it was the other way around.
She brought whole new meaning to the phrase 'only skin and bones'.
He had suspected she wasn't eating as much as she should but if his suspicions were correct it was far worse than he thought. The realization was made even worse when he remembered the Maximoffs were practically prisoners of HYDRA before all of this, then living on the street before that. When was the last time the pair actually had a real meal?
Then of course with the death of her twin, it was a wonder that Wanda hadn't tried to kill herself.
When Steve's train of thought reached that particular stop his eyes shot open of horror as he made another realization. That was exactly what she was trying to do. Wanda was intentionally starving herself to death.
"Miss Maximoff, please look at me." Steve impressed himself that he managed to keep his voice calm and cool.
When Wanda turned her head toward him the super soldier almost wished he had never made that request.
"I'm alright Captain Rogers." Wanda's voice was empty, devoid of emotion and almost monotone. Her skin was pale from lack of light with her face covered in already drying tear tracts. Most terrifying of all was her eyes. There was nothing there, like her soul had already 'checked out' as Natasha might say. The blank orbs regarded Steve almost as if they didn't even see he was there.
The Wanda that stood before Steve was almost nothing but a corpse.
Steve had assumed she took Pietro death hard, no one could fault her for that, but this was far from how bad he thought she was doing.
It didn't help matters that no one really knew what to do with her. Wanda had an open invitation to join the Avengers but she had yet to say yes or no. She was staying on the base until she made her decision.
Thankfully most of the team were new members that Wanda had not hexed into a nightmare world. Save Natasha, whom was not outright antagonistic to the younger woman but didn't go to any length's to welcome her either.
"Okay Miss Maximoff, let's get you to bed." Steve placed one hand on her upper back to gently push her away from The Wall. Thankfully, she didn't put up any struggle. As Wanda allowed herself to be led away, Steve wondered if it was bad that she was not resisting.
Once back to Wanda's quarters, Steve contemplated leaving Wanda there in her own room. All it took was a single look at the corpse like Wanda to nip that thought in the bud.
There was no way in hell Steve was going to leave her on her own.
Ushering Wanda to her own bed, he helped her get under the covers. Her reactions were almost robotic, like she wasn't even understanding them in the slightest.
It was making Steve more and more worried by the second.
"Sleep Miss Maximoff." Steve whispered as he pulled the covers up over her. She said something in response but it was too quiet for Steve to hear, even with his enhanced hearing.
Steve didn't know how long he sat there at her bedside, waiting for Wanda to finally fall asleep. Eventually her eyelids slowly drooped closed as she was claimed by the dreamworld.
The blonde watching her hoped to god that her sleep was nightmare free but even he had his doubts about that possibility.
Moving back to his feet, Steve started to leave but stopped midway across the room.
Steve's eyes moved back and forth to the door and the sleeping Wanda. He still doubted she should be left alone, even when asleep. But at the same time he didn't want her to get defensive at her presence.
Right then a thought from earlier came back with a screaming vengeance.
Steve had been able to pass her barrier.
The only way that would have been possible was if deep down Wanda wanted Steve to get close enough to help her, whether she knew it or not was up for debate. If she didn't want him anywhere near her then he would have been thrown aside like Vision and Stark.
Steve let out a sigh as he sat down on the nearby couch, quietly as not to wake her.
Laying his head back on the rear of the couch Steve let his body relax. He survived World War II, a couch was a paradise compared to that.
Steve regarded the sleeping Wanda one last time. He still had no idea how to help her, but god willing he was going to try.
I was going to have this be a one-shot but the setup is just too good not to continue. Slight problem, I'm not really sure how to do so. We'll just have to see how it goes.